The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1887-09-01
Company B.
Letter from Captain Il. w. Abnev

DENTON, lex, Aug. %, 1887.
Timothy Oakley, Timothea P. O., Webster
Parish, La:
My Dear Sir and Friend: lam
in receipt of yourletter of 10th inst.
aud thank you Kindly for the iuclos-
ed proceedings of Reunion of Com
pany 3d." 2S,h Louisiana Voluu-
teers. had seen the same AS pub
lished in the "Bossier Banner"
1t affords me much pleasure to
certify to the fact that Company "B"
was the last organization to disbaud
after the dissolution of the "Old
Mouton" Brigade. 1 remember we'll
the circumstances referred to, and l
remember having you gather up all
the abandoned guns, and such as |
had in the Ordnance Department,
and burn them. My object in fssu-
ing this order, was to prevent the
guns from falling Into the hands of
the negroes, as we were uncertain
at that early hour of their recently
acquired freedom, as to how they
would deport themselves. Fortu-
nately for them, they, in most in.
tances, accepted the new situation
in a peaceable way, and became
good and useful citizens.
L cheerfully state further, that
Company "B" remained in perfect
organization, guarding the Commits
sary for the Brigade, the Ordnance,
and the headquarters for the Regi-
ment. Col. I. w. Poole placed his
horses and headquarter equipage in
the charge of Company "B," and
after every man of the two Brigades
composing the Division had left the
grounds and departed for his home,
Company 3D." in charge Of Lieut..
j. L. G. Graham, took up its march
for Shreveport, where, in perfect
order, the Company passed over the
Red River, and on the opposite side,
on the soil that the Company had
been organized, more than three
years before, it disbanded, each
member going quietly to his home,
disrobiug himself of the panoply of
war, and turning to the plowshare,
that he might wrench FROM the earth
a scantS living for himself and those
who had guarded tue fireside, while
he guarded the portals Of a Nation
struggling for Freedom.
Other Regiments and other Com
panies may have gained more re-
nown than the 2Sth Louisiana Reg
itneht and Company "B," but none
ever stood more firmly to its coiors,
or went more gallant!y to their de-
fence than ours. | can proudly and
truthfally say, that while all Of the
18th Louisiana were true and gal
liant, that when Company was to
be selected for a post Of unusual
trust and responsibility, that Com
pany app was the one selected for
that post, and that while we were
not always victorious, that we never
abandoned our position without an
effort to defeat the eneny's encroach.
ments, and that we never left our
flag in the enemy's hands.
| AT FRANKLIN, where the gallant
Lieutenant Sentell exerted himself
to such a degree that his life paid
the forfeit, Company "B" was the
last of the infantry on the battlefield
At Mansfield, where Richardson
fell while CALAMITY moving to the
front, the Brigade fag-bearer was
shot down, and William Gladney
seized the banner-the flag that hat
been presented to Company "B" by
the ladies of Bossier-and bore it t
the front amid cheers that sent con
sternation to the hearts of the op
posing Federals:
These are historic facts, and WHEEL
the history Of the Trans. Mississippi
Department is written, and that o